Georgetown Book Reading Presents a Lesson in Egyptian Islamic Activism

Georgetown University in Qatar Professor of History, Dr. Abdullah Al-Arian, presented a reading from his book, “Answering the Call: Popular Islamic Activism in Sadat’s Egypt” at a recent event hosted by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) at the school’s Education City campus, where he reflected on the rise of Islamic activism in Egypt in the previous decades, and discussed the impact of those events on the recent Arab Spring revolution and struggle for political power. In his book, Al-Arian uses a broad range of sources to present a comprehensive account of Islamic activism in Egypt during the presidency of Anwar al-Sadat. He describes how revolutionary hero Gamal Abdel Nasser dismantled and suppressed Egypt’s largest social movement organization during the 1950s, and the surprising re-emergence of Islamic activism of the Muslim Brotherhood who would one day compete for the presidency in the nation’s first ever democratic election. Answering the Call is an original study of the history of this dynamic and vibrant period of modern Egyptian history. Read more.